Push to raise speed limit sparks safety debate

Published: Saturday, November 23, 2013 at 11:49 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, November 23, 2013 at 11:49 p.m.

TALLAHASSEE — If Florida decides to raise the speed limit on some highways by 5 mph, more traffic fatalities and decreased fuel economy could follow.

Both issues are certain to be part of the debate when the state lawmakers consider legislation advanced by Sen. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, and Senate Transportation Chairman Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, in the 2014 session.

The speed limits on some sections of interstate highways would rise from 70 mph to 75 mph. The legislation, still in the development stage, would also allow 5-mph increases on other roads, including highways where there is a divided median that have a limit of 65 mph and other roadways where the limit is 60 mph.

In all cases, none of the speed limits would be increased until the roadways were reviewed by state traffic experts and deemed appropriate for a higher limit.

The proposal comes as a new report from a federal agency shows traffic fatalities increased in the state in 2012, including a jump in speed-related deaths.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported earlier this month that traffic deaths inched up by 1 percent in the Sunshine State last year, increasing from 2,400 in 2011 to 2,424 in 2012.

More dramatically, the agency said speed-related deaths in Florida increased by 21 percent in 2012, rising from 298 to 361.

■ ■ ■

Florida’s numbers reflected a national trend, with NHTSA reporting the traffic deaths in the United States rose by 3.3 percent in 2012 — the first year-to-year increase after six years of declining rates.

Officials attributed some of the rise to warmer weather in the first quarter of 2012, allowing more motorists to take to the highways.

Although the NHTSA shows a one-year increase, traffic deaths have been on a long-term decline. Clemens said traffic fatalities have been a downward trend in the years after Florida increased the highest limit to 70 mph in 1996.

The NHTSA also shows a downward trend. In the last four years, traffic fatalities have dropped by 18.6 percent through 2012. Speed-related deaths decreased by 34.7 percent since 2008, according to the data.

Of the safety concerns over a higher speed limit, Clemens said: “The fact of the matter is that the statistics do not bear that out.”

He said vehicle safety has improved in the same period with devices like air bags and mandatory seat-belt laws. “The vehicles are safer and these roads are able to handle these faster speeds,” he said. Clemens also noted that the proposed speed limit increases would be occurring in less-populated, rural areas of the state and not in more congested, urban areas like Tampa Bay or South Florida.

Clemens said he is confident that state traffic officials will be able to determine that “long-straight highways” in rural areas will be “able to safely sustain speeds of 5 mph higher.”

Karen Morgan, a spokeswoman for AAA, said the motorist advocacy group is waiting for the details of the legislation but is urging a number of factors be considered if lawmakers want to raise the speed limit, including the road capacity, access and exit points and enforcement.

She said safety was a major issue, citing the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety finding that almost one-third of motor vehicle fatalities nationally occurred in speed-related crashes.

“Speed is definitely a traffic safety concern,” Morgan said. “When you’re raising the speed, you’re increasing the distance a vehicle travels from the time a driver detects an emergency and then can react. You’re increasing the distance the driver needs to stop. You’re also increasing the crash energy exponentially.”

Rep. Irv Slosberg, D-Boca Raton, who has spent his legislative career promoting highway safety, including the state’s mandatory seat-belt law, said he opposes the legislation because an increased speed limit could add to the growing problem of driver distraction. “As it is, it’s a free-for-all out there,” Slosberg said. “The distractions go on and on. The last thing we need in the state of Florida is to increase the speed limit.”

As to whether increasing the speed limit may be politically popular, Slosberg said: “We need to think about public safety rather than the political world.”

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Another potential issue is fuel consumption.

The federal government imposed a national 55 mph speed limit in 1974 as a way to deal with the Arab oil embargo.

In 2008, the U.S. Department of Energy estimated a national speed limit of 55 mph could save between 175,000 and 275,000 barrels of oil per day.

However, Congress partially lifted the 55-mph limit in 1987, allowing states to have a 65-mph limit on rural interstates. In 1995, the 55-mph law was fully repealed, with Florida raising its limit to 70 mph the next year.

Clemens said fuel savings was another non-factor in the debate. He also noted vehicles were becoming more fuel efficient.

“You certainly use more fuel, but you get where you’re going in less time,” he said. “I think that’s an overblown concern. We’re just talking about 5 mph .... It doesn’t make sense to me that somehow 5 mph is going to cause a safety concern or a fuel issue.”

If the change is approved, Florida would join 16 states, mainly in the western U.S., that have speed limits of 75 mph or greater. Texas, at 85 mph, has the highest limit, followed by Utah at 80 mph.

<p>TALLAHASSEE — If Florida decides to raise the speed limit on some highways by 5 mph, more traffic fatalities and decreased fuel economy could follow.</p><p>Both issues are certain to be part of the debate when the state lawmakers consider legislation advanced by Sen. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, and Senate Transportation Chairman Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, in the 2014 session.</p><p>The speed limits on some sections of interstate highways would rise from 70 mph to 75 mph. The legislation, still in the development stage, would also allow 5-mph increases on other roads, including highways where there is a divided median that have a limit of 65 mph and other roadways where the limit is 60 mph.</p><p>In all cases, none of the speed limits would be increased until the roadways were reviewed by state traffic experts and deemed appropriate for a higher limit.</p><p>The proposal comes as a new report from a federal agency shows traffic fatalities increased in the state in 2012, including a jump in speed-related deaths.</p><p>The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported earlier this month that traffic deaths inched up by 1 percent in the Sunshine State last year, increasing from 2,400 in 2011 to 2,424 in 2012.</p><p>More dramatically, the agency said speed-related deaths in Florida increased by 21 percent in 2012, rising from 298 to 361.</p><p>■ ■ ■</p><p>Florida's numbers reflected a national trend, with NHTSA reporting the traffic deaths in the United States rose by 3.3 percent in 2012 — the first year-to-year increase after six years of declining rates.</p><p>Officials attributed some of the rise to warmer weather in the first quarter of 2012, allowing more motorists to take to the highways.</p><p>Although the NHTSA shows a one-year increase, traffic deaths have been on a long-term decline. Clemens said traffic fatalities have been a downward trend in the years after Florida increased the highest limit to 70 mph in 1996.</p><p>The NHTSA also shows a downward trend. In the last four years, traffic fatalities have dropped by 18.6 percent through 2012. Speed-related deaths decreased by 34.7 percent since 2008, according to the data.</p><p>Since 1996, Florida traffic deaths have declined by 12 percent through 2012, NHTSA data show.</p><p>Of the safety concerns over a higher speed limit, Clemens said: “The fact of the matter is that the statistics do not bear that out.”</p><p>He said vehicle safety has improved in the same period with devices like air bags and mandatory seat-belt laws. “The vehicles are safer and these roads are able to handle these faster speeds,” he said. Clemens also noted that the proposed speed limit increases would be occurring in less-populated, rural areas of the state and not in more congested, urban areas like Tampa Bay or South Florida.</p><p>Clemens said he is confident that state traffic officials will be able to determine that “long-straight highways” in rural areas will be “able to safely sustain speeds of 5 mph higher.”</p><p>Karen Morgan, a spokeswoman for AAA, said the motorist advocacy group is waiting for the details of the legislation but is urging a number of factors be considered if lawmakers want to raise the speed limit, including the road capacity, access and exit points and enforcement.</p><p>She said safety was a major issue, citing the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety finding that almost one-third of motor vehicle fatalities nationally occurred in speed-related crashes.</p><p>“Speed is definitely a traffic safety concern,” Morgan said. “When you're raising the speed, you're increasing the distance a vehicle travels from the time a driver detects an emergency and then can react. You're increasing the distance the driver needs to stop. You're also increasing the crash energy exponentially.”</p><p>Rep. Irv Slosberg, D-Boca Raton, who has spent his legislative career promoting highway safety, including the state's mandatory seat-belt law, said he opposes the legislation because an increased speed limit could add to the growing problem of driver distraction. “As it is, it's a free-for-all out there,” Slosberg said. “The distractions go on and on. The last thing we need in the state of Florida is to increase the speed limit.”</p><p>As to whether increasing the speed limit may be politically popular, Slosberg said: “We need to think about public safety rather than the political world.”</p><p>■ ■ ■</p><p>Another potential issue is fuel consumption.</p><p>The federal government imposed a national 55 mph speed limit in 1974 as a way to deal with the Arab oil embargo.</p><p>In 2008, the U.S. Department of Energy estimated a national speed limit of 55 mph could save between 175,000 and 275,000 barrels of oil per day.</p><p>However, Congress partially lifted the 55-mph limit in 1987, allowing states to have a 65-mph limit on rural interstates. In 1995, the 55-mph law was fully repealed, with Florida raising its limit to 70 mph the next year.</p><p>Clemens said fuel savings was another non-factor in the debate. He also noted vehicles were becoming more fuel efficient.</p><p>“You certainly use more fuel, but you get where you're going in less time,” he said. “I think that's an overblown concern. We're just talking about 5 mph .... It doesn't make sense to me that somehow 5 mph is going to cause a safety concern or a fuel issue.”</p><p>If the change is approved, Florida would join 16 states, mainly in the western U.S., that have speed limits of 75 mph or greater. Texas, at 85 mph, has the highest limit, followed by Utah at 80 mph.</p>